Opening licence electrics in Seville, Spain: electrical legalisation of business premises

Opening licence electrics in Seville: what you need before you open

Before premises can open, the electrical installation has to be finished, comply with the REBT (Spain’s Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation) and have its documents registered. Without that electrical file the responsible declaration or the municipal licence cannot be completed, and the distributor will not connect or extend the supply either.

We handle the electrical legalisation of business premises from start to finish: we check what is there, tell you what is missing, upgrade it and hand you the papers. If what you need is a complete installation from scratch, see electrical installations for shops and offices.

When you need to legalise the installation of your premises

• You are opening a business in premises that never had an activity or have been closed for a long time.
• You are taking over a business (traspaso) and the boletín cannot be found, is in the name of another activity or does not reflect the current installation.
• You are changing the activity, for example from office to shop or from shop to bar, and will start receiving the public.
• You need more power for your machinery or your air conditioning.
• The town hall or the distributor is asking for documents you do not have.
• You have had an unfavourable inspection and there are defects to correct.

The electrical file, piece by piece

1. Electrical installation certificate (boletín). Issued by a registered installer company and filed with the industry department of the Junta de Andalucía, the regional government. We explain it on our electrical certificate (boletín) page.
2. Technical design report or project. ITC-BT-04 sets when a technical design report (memoria técnica de diseño, MTD) is enough and when a project signed by a qualified engineer is needed. The details are in electrical design report and project.
3. Initial inspection by a control body. For premises open to the public and the other cases set by ITC-BT-05, before the installation is put into service. After that, periodic inspections every 5 years.
4. New connection or supply extension with the distributor, which also asks for the boletín. If you need more power, we handle it as a contracted power increase.

Premises open to the public: what the inspector looks at

If your premises receive the public (shops, bars, clinics, academies, gyms, offices that serve customers), the installation follows ITC-BT-28. The inspection mainly checks:

• Emergency and signage lighting at exits, corridors and panels, with enough autonomy.
• Low-smoke cables and suitable conduits.
• Distribution of circuits so that one fault does not leave the whole public area in the dark.
• Protection devices: RCDs and correctly sized circuit breakers (MCBs), with an accessible, labelled fuse board.
• Earthing (grounding) with a correct value, measured and documented.

Premises with an old installation or no papers

This is the most common case in Seville: premises that have had several activities, with undocumented extensions and an old boletín or none at all. The process is the same as any legalisation:

1. Diagnosis of the fuse board, lines, earthing and emergency lighting.
2. Measurements of insulation, earthing and RCDs.
3. Upgrade report listing what must be changed and its price.
4. Upgrade works, usually the fuse board, emergency lighting and some circuits.
5. Paperwork and registration, plus the inspection if the premises need it.

Premises in the city centre, Triana and the rest of Seville

In the city centre and the old town there are many premises in old buildings that have been through several activities and have supply cables too small for today’s power. In Triana, with its many bars, the licence often comes with a kitchen full of powerful equipment, as we explain on our page for bars and restaurants. In Nervión, Los Remedios and Sevilla Este most premises are on the ground floor of residential buildings, where the work has to be coordinated with the comunidad (the homeowners’ association). And in towns such as Dos Hermanas or Carmona we work both on high street shops and on premises in refurbished buildings.

How we work

1. Visit to the premises with the planned activity, the floor area and the equipment.
2. Diagnosis and proposal: whether a technical report is enough or a project is needed, and what has to be upgraded.
3. Fixed quote separating paperwork from works.
4. Upgrade of the installation, if needed.
5. Measurements and installation certificate registered with the Junta de Andalucía.
6. Initial inspection by a control body when it applies, and delivery of the file for the town hall.

Guide prices

Prices do not include VAT or the distributor’s fees and charges. The control body’s fees are quoted according to the installation. More references on our prices page, and the rest of our services for businesses under business and industry.